Oven Bake

Start with crudités and dip, and accompany the entrée (opposite) with sautéed carrots.

The chef at Kristina's makes this dish with haddock; we call for sea bass, which is more readily available.

Delicious with chicken, pork or steak.

Great with chicken, turkey burgers or steak.

To complete the menu, serve seeded Italian breadsticks and a salad of radicchio and marinated artichoke hearts tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. Spumoni ice cream is a perfect ending.

This crunchy old-time favorite is an ideal gift for families, because both adults and children will eat it by the handful. For a gift, place the popcorn in glass jars tied with ribbon and decorated with sprigs of holly. And for immediate eating, put the popcorn in a cellophane-lined basket or box, and set it out for everyone to enjoy.

Clyde's Restaurant Group owns several successful restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area. Tom Meyer, head of restaurant development, is especially fond of this popular dish, served with mashed potatoes at Clyde's of Chevy Chase. If you can't find broccoli rabe (an Italian green), collard greens, Swiss chard or mustard greens will work well also.

In the early days of California cooking, savory puddings were often served, a reflection of the fact that eggs and dairy have historically been mainstays of the state's agriculture. That was a legacy from the mission padres who, in addition to growing field crops such as corn and beans, usually kept cows and chickens to help feed their communities. In Northern California, Dungeness crab season begins around the first of November. The crab lends rich taste and nice texture to the first-course pudding.

This recipe originally accompanied Crown Roast of Pork with Apple and Pork Stuffing and Cider Gravy . Part of the terrific stuffing is used to fill the crown roast of pork, and the rest is baked alongside. But if you are making the stuffing to go with other meats, simply bake all of it in a shallow baking dish until a meat thermometer registers 155°F.

This recipe comes from my brother, Chris, a high-school athletic coach. If you think stuffed mushrooms sound too foofy for Super Bowl Sunday, I refer you to "Little" Brother. He tells me they are winners every time. There's plenty of room for play in the recipe. The only firm rule: Use more crab than cream cheese.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

These savory pastry packages are a fitting presentation for Oscar night - plus they're perfect with the ham. This recipe makes few extras for second helpings.